


My Persephone

by Blueyedemoness



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-07-10 01:56:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19897981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueyedemoness/pseuds/Blueyedemoness
Summary: Ever since she came to the First, Nua Dotharl has been getting strange voices in her head, echoes of a past she cannot fully recall. After arriving in Amaurot, things start to piece themselves together when Emet-Selch finally decides to show himself to her and bring her down a trip through memory lane. Will these memories be able to change the course of fate? Or will it simply leave them even more empty when one has to kill the other in the final confrontation?CAUTION:-----------------Content below contains spoilers for the lvl 80 Shadowbringers MSQ, if you have not reached this point in the game and do not wish to be spoiled please refrain from reading. Otherwise enjoy my trash shipping at your own risk.





	1. Flowers of Yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> I've finally decided to put these drabbles here on Ao3! I'm not finished with them yet, but figured that it would be good to put them up here in case people don't automatically go to tumblr for fan fictions/stories (I don't either most of the time). I am hopeful that I'll be able to get it all finished, but still not sure how many drabbles its gonna take, so bare with me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories keep piecing themselves together without warning and so Nua wanders through an ancient city within an ancient garden where a certain Ascian awaits.

Amaurot, city of the ancients, the city of the Ascians stood tall around her, spires reaching towards the edge of the air bubble Bismarck had created. But the thought of the pointed edges coming in contact with the bubble was the least of Nua’s concerns. She was actually more preoccupied with the haunted streets of a civilization that rang all too familiar within her mind, shades walking the same path day by day, repeating the same doom over and over. It was eerie, the detail Emet-Selch put into it. But then, with something so precious, why wouldn’t he?

**_“Little one, are you lost?”_** One of the towering Amaurotine had paused after seeing the look of contemplation on her face. Or maybe it was merely concerned since a ‘child’ was walking around by herself. A pang of irritation went through her regardless of which reasoning.

_**I’m always tired of them treating me like a child! Just because I haven’t grown fully yet—** _

The thoughts flowing through her head came to a halt, for Nua didn’t appreciate the intrusion, even when it was just a shard of memory putting itself back in place. 

An occurrence that had been happening more often lately and has served to be a well timed distraction instead of what she should be focusing on. Too many instances she nearly got cut down because of it and her fellow Scions would pester her about her mental state incessantly. But it was either enduring that or be mocked in that condescending, irritating, and yet somehow endearing way Emet-Selch would nag about her lack of attention.

**_It would be terribly inconvenient for you to die on us now, hero. Do try to pay attention next time, will you?_ **

She frowned even when a part of her had the urge to do the opposite. To accept the warm feeling in her chest as it spread through her body, to embrace the fact she adored it; that she adored his attention.

**“ _Child?_ ”** The phantom spoke again, still no impatience in their tone, forever calm and helpful. It gave a slight pain in her heart, a yearning, a homesickness.

Nua shook her head, huffing and folding her arms across her chest. **“I am not lost, and I’m not a child.”**

They seem to give a soft chuckle of amusement. **_“I see, carry on then, but do be sure to head to him soon. He waits for you.”_** As if she didn’t already know that, as if she wasn’t purposely avoiding such a thing out of spite. If he really wanted to have her around him then he should just show himself already. 

The Amaurotine silently left, leaving Nua by herself once again with her thoughts. 

The Scions were still scouting around to find a way to the Capitol and so she had some time left. Time to look through this city and give into some of the bittersweet memories that came with it. And so she kept walking. Walking and walking until she was in a part of the city that was painfully familiar, a hidden sanctuary. Her instincts pointed her in a certain direction and her legs kept moving without much of her control. They followed a mysterious path, a guiding force leading her forward and away.

A path barely visible, save for the occasional flower blooming in place, put her into something of a garden. It was a small space, a place of quiet and serene atmosphere. She could hear the chirping of the birds and the babble of a small creek that ran through it. If she didn’t know any better, Nua would have thought she was back in the Black Shroud on the Source; it was wonderful. 

But now was the difficult part, entering without crushing the plants. Nua weighed her options, almost changing her mind and walking away. But her instincts persisted and her legs refused to move anywhere but forward; she sighed.

Her hands reached for her armor and piece by piece she removed it until nothing was left but her pants and tunic. Her bare feet slowly treading into the all consuming flower patch, her toes sinking into the soft soil.

It felt like a bed of clouds and when her eyes looked beyond she could see all sorts of colors that would make many of her fellow botanists gawk in awe. It was nearly as beautiful as the flower fields in Il Mheg.

Her hand instinctively extended, picking carefully at the stem of one of the flowers that popped out the most, twirling it slowly as she stared at its white petals and yellow, cup shaped corona. It tugged at her, her mind trying to piece together the significance the flower held. Or perhaps it wasn’t the flower itself, but the entire garden that was pressuring her, pressuring her to remember.

**_Narcissus is nice, but I like Daffodil instead. What about that, H—_ **

**“Oh come now, hero, do you honestly want to spend your last moments brooding?”** Nua jolted from her dazed state, caught a bit off guard as the voice of Emet-Selch sighed dramatically behind her. **“It’s terrible manners to keep a person waiting you know.”**

Her face scrunched up, not appreciating him interrupting her thoughts like that. **“And it’s terrible manners for the _host_ to make his _guest_ go searching for him in a behemoth of a city. What, you couldn’t be bothered to greet me when I came through the front door?” **She huffed at the man, but didn’t bother turning around before she started to gather more flowers. 

She heard him shift slightly and while she couldn’t hear the clicking of his shoes, his voice was certainly creeping closer. **“The Warrior of Light has been seen traveling across several lands to perform her heroic deeds. What’s one city as opposed to an entire world?”**

She frowned, mainly because he was right. **“If I’m going to die I would rather not have to run around fulfilling errands for shades that are nothing but illusions.”** She said, though Nua certainly felt bad saying it **“… Even if they serve as windows into the past.”**

**“A past that none of you can remember if you recall, _broken_ as you are—”** He started to say in the usual condescending tone but stopped. In an instant his head is hovering over her shoulder, golden eyes bearing down at what she had in her hands. **“… A flower crown?”** For once he seemed to give in to some interest, his head tilting in curiosity. Yet, within those hues of gold, there was a dim spark of recognition dwelling within the depths.

Nua looked at her hands and saw that her fingers had been, mostly, acting on their own, weaving the stems until they became a crown of flowers. It was a little surprising, but at the same time it wasn’t. Another familiarity.

**“What of it?”** She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly and waited. 

For a good moment he doesn’t say anything, just staring down, not blinking, not breathing, eyes half lidded and a small frown dipping on his face. He looked like he was far away, gazing into another realm, another time, another life. Without speaking a gloved hand reached for it, fingers nearly grazing the gentle petals only to stop short. His mouth attempted to move, but closed, his voice silent. It seemed like a millennia before he got the will to speak, his face reverting back to it’s normal, disappointed look after half a minute. 

**“Very unembellished— simple and plain with no creative input whatsoever. Not that I’m very surprised, considering its you.”** His words stung, but that stoked the fire in her breast then dampen, if that was really what he was going for insulting her like that. What right did he have to come in, unannounced and then proceed to insult her work as if it were his right?! **“And daffodils? Really? We—”**

**_—ell it’s not the most_ creative _name, I admit, but I guess—_**

**_Not creative?! What’s not creative about Daffodil??_ **

**_Many things, would you like me to make a list? I can have it ready by tomorrow if you’d like!_ **

**_HMPH! Must you always be critical of what I come up with?!_ **

**_I only look out for your best interests, my dear!_ **

_**Best interests my backside! You’re only doing it because you like teasing me. Y—**   
_

**“—ou’re such a bastard, Hades!”** Before she could stop herself the name spilled from her lips as memories and reality melded together for a brief moment within the conversation. For the first time in a while, Nua froze like a deer in headlights and her eyes kept on the Ascian while her heart started to thump loudly against her chest. Meanwhile, the Ascian in question looked into her eyes, brows raised in utter surprise. Once more he was left speechless, but this time it only took him a second to recover, his hand extending to the side of her face, cupping her cheek.   


**“You remember. You remember, don’t you?”** He asked softly, his voice on the verge of breaking. His thumb rubbed over her smooth scales slowly, lovingly and she felt her gut clench while butterflies filled her stomach. Hope (Despair?) filled his eyes as he leaned in close, his breath upon her lips. His voice trembled, barely above a whisper.   


**“I’ve been waiting for you for so long. You’ve finally come back to me, _my Persephone_.”**


	2. Addicted to a Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kore spends time with Hades within their garden of creation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight I think I may have accidentally made Persephone a lot like Pink Diamond from Steven Universe LOL

**“Persephone…?”** For a moment her face spelled utter confusion, blinking slowly and eyes wide, as if in awe at the choice of the name. But then she frowned and gave him that look as if she had just been insulted. **“You know what that means don’t you? ‘Bringer of Death’! I’m not letting you call me that!”** She waved her arms up dramatically, much to his amusement. **“Why don’t you just call me by my actual name?”**

**“Because, frankly, my dear, it’s rather _boring_. And being boring is a cardinal sin, you know.”** He gave a dramatic sigh and shook his head. **“ _Persephone_ , on the other hand, is _graceful_ and rolls off the tongue; better than Kore anyhow.”**

**“Says _you_ ,”** Kore, huffed as she curled up against the soil, underneath the few towering plants that were present in the garden; her garden. **“It’s my life, I deserve to be called what I want to be called and no one can say otherwise.”**

**“Even your guardian?”**

**“My _mother_ is not a problem.”**

**“So you’re fine with _her_ calling you whatever she wants, yet it’s a problem when it comes to _me_? Oh _Persephone_ , what have I done to earn such _scorn_?”** Another sigh came from his lips before she found herself in his arms, sitting on his lap. **“Tell me, so that I may pacify your anger!”** He spoke with that dramatic flair, his voice almost echoing from his exaggerated tone. 

She rolled her eyes and snorted, though it was just to hide her laugh at how extra he was being. **“I’m not _angry_ with you, you dramatine.”**

**“Then speak, my Persephone,”** he said, leaning in, his voice a low rumble at the back of his throat that threatened to make her shudder. **“Speak _thy_ desires and I shall make it so…” **his forehead rested upon hers, lips muttering against her own, on the verge of taking them right then and there. She could feel his soul, humming against her body. It glides around her, threatening to seep into her skin, into her bones to the core of her very being.

Her mouth trembled and quivered, her own soul yearning to do the same, to touch him, to seep into his being.

Her hands went to his chest and pressed against him. Her lips parted slightly, but instead of words, a laugh rang out. Giggles couldn’t contain themselves as her cheeks grew warm, darkening her already tanned skin. Kore pushed away from him. **“H-Hades, stop that!”** She said in between her small laughs.   


**“How can I when you haven’t told me what it is I must do.”** He smirked at her as he went to the crook of her neck. **“Guide me, my Persephone…”** he trailed off as he lightly kissed at the nape, voice getting a bit thick from his growing arousal. He could feel her skin heating up, her heart pulsing against her chest. He attempted to close the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her small frame, letting his fingertips move against her skin. It had been so long since he last touched her. So _agonizingly_ long. 

For a moment he heard her breath hitch, but soon her hands felt around his face and gently moved it so they were looking at one another. Her forehead touched his while her rose pink eyes stared at him with that smile of hers.   


**“How about you show me that thing you’ve promised to show me? Your new fruit?”** She asked, batting those lashes as if it were going to get her anywhere. She was exactly right.

Hades sighed. **“If I _must_ —”**

Before he could finish she squealed lightly before kissing him and rolling off into the flower bed again. He rolled his eyes, but retained an amused smile. **“Come now, Persephone, I can’t show you if you’re lazing about.”**

**“You’re really not gonna stop calling me that are you?”** She asked from the top of his shoulder. For one who was only as tall as his waist, it amazed him she could climb him with ease.

**“Perish the thought! Now come here or I’ll change my mind.”** He said, before waiting for her response. It was her turn to sigh, but Kore knew better than to keep Hades waiting too long or he really WOULDN’T show her.   


**“Alright, alright.”** She said as she climbed over his shoulder and rolled into his lap again, head cranking up, arms crossed and staring with that curious gaze. **“So where is it?”**   


Hades gave her that all knowing smirk of his before he lifted a hand, pressed his middle finger and thumb together and made a quick snap. The air swelled with aether and above them the tree they had been under bloomed, an abundance of red flowers opening before her. Her eyes widened and sort of berated herself for not realizing she had been under a new tree she hadn’t seen before. **“It’s so beautiful!”**

While she gawked at the sight, Hades lifted an arm and plucked one of the red fruits from one of the branches before pulling it apart to reveal the red, juicy seeds inside; her eyes shone like stars seeing them.

**“Ah, but you have yet to partake in consuming them, my dear.”**   


**“That’s okay??”** She looked up at him, a bit worried that maybe she was overstepping her boundaries. But such a thing was absurd, anything of his was hers.

**“I mean if you don’t want it—”**

**“No I do!”** Before he had the chance to take away the fruit, Kore was grabbing at it and managed to get a few seeds before it was out of her reach. Hades chuckled, but otherwise kept quiet as he waited for her reaction.

Kore inspected the seeds, taking some in between her fingers and flexing to test how squishy they were. When she seemed satisfied, she plopped one them into her mouth and chewed slowly. She hummed with satisfaction, eating five more before hugging him tightly. Feeling her arms around him caused him to sigh deeply in relief. 

**“They are to your tastes then?”**

**“Just the way I wanted them! Thank you so much Hades.”** She said, though he could hear the slight melancholy in her voice as it quieted itself. **“I’m sorry you have to do this for me. I should be able to do this on my own. I’m so…”** she trailed off, trying to find the right word, but Hades refused to give her that opportunity.  


**“Tch, none of that now,”** he clicked his tongue, lifting her head up so he could look her in the eyes. **“Must we discuss the other cardinal sin of crying over nothing?”**

**“I’m not crying, I’m just unhappy that you have to make things for me,”** she said, frowning. **“It’s frustrating; not being able to create things like everyone else, to rely on others to do it for me.”** Ah, this again; a plague that was always on her mind, gnawing at her thoughts, making her grow anxious. He hated seeing her so helpless and frustrated; she had so many wonderful ideas, but no way to bring them into being. 

**“Am I always going to be like this? Am I doomed to be talent-less?”** She looked at him with almost pleading eyes, searching for some answer, some confirmation that all wasn’t for naught. But Hades couldn’t lie to her, he didn’t have the heart.   


**“Talentless? If I recall your drawings have always been an item of interest to the community.”** He said, dodging the question. **“People get excited when they hear you’ve posted another piece of art for them to enjoy. Really, it makes _me_ jealous just thinking about it!”** But such a statement gave him a doubting look from her face. 

**“You? _Jealous_? You are one of the Convocation of Fourteen, Emet-Selch, the _Architect_ , among other things, what do _you_ have to be jealous about??”**   


**“A beautiful creature who can gather the eyes of others around her with naught else but her actions, her art.”** He nuzzled her gently, causing her to blush and, finally, giggle. Ah, there it is, that beautiful voice. **“You’re a** _ **hero**_ **, Persephone, a hero to those who lack creativity to create their own.”**

**“A _hero_?”** She asked, shaking her head and putting it to his chest **“Sounds like one of those silly concepts you’re so fond of.”**

**“Indeed I am. Would you like to hear about it, _hero_?”** His fingers threaded through her short pixie cut hair, softly massaging her scalp. Kore smiled lightly, her eyes closing.

**“I’d love that.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading it through! God I love these two, they just love each other so much and mean so much to each other.
> 
> Would be a shame if something...
> 
> happened....
> 
> to them...
> 
> >:3c


	3. Giver of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world is sundering apart and Hades is determined not to lose the one person he cherishes most. Such a pity, for none shall escape the sundering, not even her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lateness of this one! I swear I went through two or three times trying to find the perfect starting point until I finally got what I wanted so to make up for it I made this chapter extra long! Also got back into Lore Olympus so that has also sorta consumed me? But in a good way! It'll serve for inspiration for other chapters/projects for this series I'm thinking about maybe doing >w>
> 
> Anyway I hope you all enjoy the chapter! I'd love to hear your comments about it when you've finished reading :3

**“Yes, you certainly would love that wouldn’t you?”** He asked, a sort of venom in his tone as he looked at a hastily written letter. He cared not for the wanted secrecy between Persephone and her _mother_ , only that she had been so _kind_ as to mention where it was, this _sanctuary_. All he had to do was make haste from his current location, determination in his step; determination not to lose anyone else in this accursed war Hydaelyn brought to the planet. **  
**

Thankfully, he knew all the shortcuts in the city and whatever blocked his way was met with a variety of spells to deal with a variety of problems. He tried to be conservative, only opting to use when necessary, but it was already taking a toll on his body. He was sweating profusely, his legs trembled and he had a hard time walking without staggering and risk falling flat on his face. There was also dust everywhere that hadn’t settled from the buildings that had collapsed; his lungs felt constricted so catching his breath was an agonizingly slow process. It felt like his was dying along with the world around him. But he wasn’t going to stop, he _couldn’t_ stop, she was all he had _left_. He wasn’t going to lose her too.

He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t _lose her_. Not now. Not ever. He won’t. He won’t. He _won’t_. **HE _WON’T_**. **HE _CAN’T_ _—_**

**_STOP!_ **

A thought, a _voice_ nearly caused him to tumble over as it permeated all of the scattered thoughts inside his mind. Hades stood straight, trying to assess where it had been coming from. At first he thought it was a plea for help, but where he currently was, that was nigh improbable; which only meant one person.

_**Persephone!** _

With his mind and soul, Hades reaches out to the source, desperately trying to prompt a response. He went to take a step forward as worry clouded his mind, but at that moment a disturbance caught his attention and he saw something large in his peripheral vision. A whip-like appendage soared towards him, the tip razor sharp to use as a piercing weapon for any creature it snagged on. Luckily for him, it only made it to the side of his cheek before it snapped away suddenly. **  
**

He peered over to see it’s host body, pummeled into the ground by a bare-footed, half sized Amaurotine with pink hair and fierce pink eyes that blended in well with the red consuming her sclera. The air fizzed, static heating up the area as what seemed like lightening curled over her form, sending shock waves and denting the ground into the size of a small crater. 

Flesh squished between her toes as her weight crushed the monster, making sure to give a few extra points of muscle in her legs just in case. When there was no movement, Persephone took a deep sigh and the charged air around her dissipated, her eyes changing back to normal. 

He continued to stare, frozen in place and unable to summon his voice, but managed to make a step towards her. She looked like her normal self despite her clothing being torn in various places and the bags underneath her eyes. But other than those peculiar features she was fine; in fact, there wasn’t a scratch on her as far as he could tell.

**“Persephone…”** Finally he found his voice, though it was more like a whisper when he desired to call to her. Not that it mattered, she noticed him right away and that smile he had loved shown itself on her face.

**“Hades! Are you okay?”** She asked, jumping down with ease after staggering once. **“You didn’t get hurt by that thing did you?”**

It took him a moment before he managed to give a signature quirk of the brow; _him_ getting _hurt_? **“Me? Hurt? Persephone, might I remind you that I’m one of the Convocation? ‘Tis nothing but a _scratch_ at most I assure you.”** He paused. **“Though I _suppose_ your timely arrival did save me an inconvenience. Bravo, _hero_!”**

Ah there it was, the dramatic arrogance that she was so used to. It was nice to know that he seemed to be okay… _still _—__

**“Don’t patronize me! This is a serious situation right now!”** Persephone narrowed her eyes, wondering exactly what it would take for Hades not to be a teasing bastard if not the end of the world. 

**“I _am_ being serious, my dear Persephone, though it is not _I_ you should be worrying about.”** He took a slow step forward, eyes gazing down at her, back hunched and arms behind said backside as if he were analyzing her. “ **You look far worse for wear, how long have you been here fighting off those _things_?”** He asked, gaze a bit more accusatory than she would have liked, Persephone _really_ didn’t need him to try and guilt trip her from her own decisions. 

**“I’m _fine_. Do you see any wounds or scratches? _No_? Then you can stop acting like I can’t take care of myself.”** In her heart she knew that he was just worried, but even at the end of the world people seemed to treat her as if she were a child, even with this gift of strength she had been given. 

She couldn’t understand and she really, _really_ hated it. 

**“Anyway, we need to _—_ ”** Persephone half turned, ready to move on from the subject when another appendage came out of nowhere and pierced right through her shoulder. **“Oh _fuck_ that hurts!”** She growled before grabbing the appendage and ripping it out of her shoulder, doing her best to ignore the pain and blood gushing from the wound. Instead she focused her attention on the monster which was a near identical to the one she just killed, just way smaller; an easy kill.

Wrapping the appendage around her hand and gripping it with her Olympian strength, she pulled it towards her and subsequently punched it so hard that most of the organic flesh within splattered out and oozed onto the ground, killing it instantly. 

She touched her shoulder lightly, but couldn’t even breathe a sigh of relief before Hades grasped at her. **“Tsk, tsk, still reckless as ever I see, you should be more careful _hero_.” **He said before his hand reached out for her shoulder, but Persephone took his wrist, shaking her head. 

**“Hades, its _fine_ _—_ ”** she started to say, but the tightening grip on her arm and the look he gave her signaled a defiance of whatever it was she was going to say. But she wasn’t going to back down either. **“Don’t— look, just watch.”** She said as her eyes directed to her shoulder as it started glowing, the wound closing on its own. 

Hades peered closer, eyes squinting and even touching where had been moments before. There wasn’t even a scar or any sign that there had been a wound there at all, save for where her clothes were torn. “ **See? I’m okay, my wounds heal up on their own.”** She was smiling as always, but he could tell she was strained. Her skin was lackluster compared that beautiful bronze he loved to kiss and touch and her eyes had lost some of the fire that completely enamored him.  


Persephone’s expression then changed, as if she had just remembered something. Her eyes darted around, scanning the area but frowned when she didn’t see what she was looking for. 

**“Hades…Where’s Daeus…?”** She asked, a concerned look over taking her features as she looked back to him.

Hades felt his entire body grow cold, the pit in his stomach threatening to tear him apart from the inside. 

_**“Save your energy Hades… it’s far too late for me…”** Hythlodaes’ voice was still as soft and calm as ever, though the shallow breath was a good indication that the Amaurotine was close to death. His friend put a weak hand on his shoulder in some vain attempt to give comfort. **“It would be in bad taste… to die for another who is slated to pass on. There… there are others waiting for you.”** _

_Others._ **Others** _. What_ **others** _could there be—_

_Hades’ heart nearly stopped when he realized what he was about to say out loud. His lips trembled as he attempted to get a hold of his own mind and banish the overzealous thoughts and feelings bursting at the seams. He was supposed to be more composed than this, more in control of his emotions, but he was falling apart. His_ planet _was dying, his_ friends _were dying, his_ people _were dying. Everyone was_ **dying** _and there wasn’t a thing he could do about. Even such a powerful sorcerer as he was helpless in this situation and such despair could only hasten the panic overtaking his mind._

_A slight grip on his shoulder planted Hades back into reality and he looked over to Daes. In his other hand was a piece of parchment. **“This is… a letter from Halmarut— to Kore… before she… died. She’s… probably there… at the garden. Go to her… quickly now. You won’t want to lose her too… You are…hope… both of you…”** the last of his energy and his dear friend slumped over, his soul finally flickering away. _  


How was he to tell her about that? That even as powerful as he was, he _failed_ to save him? 

**“Persephone _—_ ” **

**“He’s dead, isn’t he?”** Her tone of voice, usually warm and energetic, was cold and rather distant; it caught him off guard. He looked at her, seeing her eyes go to the floor, her attempt to stop her mouth from quivering by biting down on it. **“I should have known… he… he was supposed to be here by now… _dammit_.”** Her clenched fists shook, her mind wandering the ‘what ifs’ the ‘should have beens’ if she hadn’t just stood there and waited for Daeus to come to her. _She_ should have went to him. _She_ should have been able to save him when he was hurt. _She_ should have–

Before Persephone could finish her thoughts, Hades was already embracing her, the tip of his nose nuzzling into her hair, his soul emerging and caressing hers in a way that sought to give comfort. **“Hades… I… I should have been there for him…”**

**“Hush now, we’ll have none of that,”** he cooed **“He was at peace when he passed, I made sure of it. When all of this is over, we will summon Zodiark again and He will be able to revive all of our loved ones back, I _promise_.”** He squeezed her lightly, trying his best to give her some comfort, to let her know that all wasn’t for naught, that there was _hope_. Their people could live again, rebuild again, it would just take some time. 

Yet, despite his confidence, Persephone was not comforted nor was she given any hope that such a being such as _He_ would be able to bring back the dead. Her mother was convinced the god had no intention of doing so and Persephone was prone to believe it as well. Zodiark was powerful, that could not be disputed, but he was never meant to bring back the dead, all he wanted was more energy, more aether, more sacrifices. His hunger seemed insatiable and she feared that it WAS.

**“ _Trust me_ , Persephone, things will return to normal.”** He assured her, as if he read her thoughts. As if it were so easy to believe. As if everything that has happened in the last few days, weeks, _months_ would disappear from their minds and never be mentioned again. No, there was no going back from this, there was no washing this pain and agony away even if things returned to normal. Nothing would be normal again, not with what they knew now; what _she_ knew now. 

**“We should go,”** she said, wiping her eyes and backing away from his arms. **“Our world is being torn apart and if we don’t leave now we won’t find mother’s sanctuary _—_ ”** Before she could finish, Persephone heard something crack before a foreign object made an impact within her chest cavity. At first she froze, eyes wide, slowly blinking before she looked down and saw a hook-like appendage sticking out of her chest. **“Oh.”**

Another crack boomed behind her and Persephone was pulled back at an alarming rate, her body being thrown against a wall once, twice, three times, leaving her quite bruised. Her hand gripped at the hook to try and get it out, but severe pain coupled with being thrashed around made it difficult. She started to feel dizzy, her ears ringing from being slammed over and over again as her headache started to pound merciless against her skull. She could feel blood pouring from her head over her eye now and her vision was rapidly declining.

**“ _Scurry and Scatter!_ ” **As sudden did Hades call out did she feel her body fall to the floor, the limb holding her now detached from the body. The impact to the ground, while being a short distance from where she had fallen, sent sharp pains through her chest. Her ribs pressed against the hook, making it sink deeper into her flesh and letting more blood spill onto the ground. She was feeling light headed, but until the monster was killed, there was no way she was going to let herself die, not like this.

**_Hear… Feel… Think…_ **

For a moment she heard her mother’s voice; calm, encouraging and wise as it always had been, echoing through her body, giving her strength she didn’t know she had and she actually managed to prop herself up on one knee. With one eye open, Persephone turned her head to where she had heard the battle pressing on.

Standing tall, confident and wholly arrogant, Hades was always one to show off the power he wielded, especially when he had an audience. But this wasn’t him, this was a Hades filled with rage; eyes constricted, mouth in a snarl and magic so wild it lashed out with reckless abandon; he was angry _—_ no _livid._ A rare sight to see and Persephone would be a liar if she said it didn’t terrify her a small bit. But within that anger, while his head was clouded of thoughts of protecting her, protecting what was _his_ , protecting what he had _left_ , he did not realize just how much danger _he_ was in.

Even now she could see his ragged breath, his blurry eyes, his staggering legs. How he was standing when he was exhausting himself was beyond her, but she had to put a stop to it, and the only way to do that was to kill the monster before it ended up killing him or he ended up killing himself.

Suddenly she had energy again. The aether within her body manifesting itself, humming and crackling to the rhythm of her determination as her muscles gained back their strength. She took a hand and gripped the remaining talon in her chest and ripping it out with such vigor that a chunk of flesh still clung to it. She could feel her chest burn and in her haste to remove it she coughed out more blood and fluid, but even with her own constricted breath her eyes laid on her prey.

Persephone was on it in a matter of moments, talon in hand and, using her herculean strength, shoved it straight into its head, cracking through the skull and embedding it into its cranium. The creature made one last howl before it eventually stopped moving entirely.

The air became still, the only sound being their ragged breaths. She gave a long, drawn out sigh of relief; it was over, it was finally over _—_

Or so she thought, but as the monster lay dying, twitching as the last of its life sucked away back into the aether, it did one last push, one last _act of violence_ and stabbed her with every hook it had. Blood poured from every wound profusely, spilling upon the ground and flowing into the cracks of the floor like a river styx. Her breath became still, her lung caught in her throat, unable to make a sound other than a pathetic squeal as she fell. As she collapsed she could hear someone calling her name and her glazed eyes focused on he who called for her, who loved her, who would mourn for her.

**_Hades…_ **

Hades had been frozen utterly, his words caught in his throat as his Persephone, as strong as she was, fell to the final attack by that monster. The world was eerily silent, his breathing the only thing he could hear other than the loud beating of his heart. He felt it again, pits of despair sending cold fires into his stomach, panic wrecking havoc and chaos in his mind, legs refusing to move as another one, as the one he loved the most fell to her knees.

When she finally landed on the ground he managed to get the energy to move again, rushing to her side, trying not to collapse himself as he gently picked up her body. He attempted to remove the hooks from her body, but as sudden as he got the energy to move it was gone again, leaving him heavy and unable to support himself as the pain from the battle came into effect. His lumbering limbs, his stinging, open wounds provided by some of the hooks that were still latched onto his flesh, his lack of ability to breathe properly. He felt like he was being strangled, that death was there, squeezing at his neck, sucking out the last of his life as his soul would be transported to the life after death. 

With the last of his energy, Hades managed to pull the remaining hooks out from his body in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain, throwing them lazily on the floor. He began closing his eyes, clutching onto Persephone’s body, holding her close as he embraced the hold death had on them, the idea of both of them passing on _together_ bringing him a sense of peace.

Yet, from within his arms she moved, her eyes fluttering open, though it was easy to tell she was straining herself to keep them so. Her arm was heavy, but she managed to lift it, touching his face, rousing him from the start of his deep slumber, rubbing his cheek with her thumb. When he opened his own to peer down at her, she gave that grin that filled his heart with light and love, though it was tremendously weaker.

**“Perseph..one…”**

He started to speak, but a finger to his lips stopped him. Slowly she lifted herself up, moving both hands to hold his face, leaning into his slouched form and kissing him softly. At first he stiffened up, but it only took a moment for his body to relax, closing his eyes as he felt her soul wrap around his body, giving him comfort and love in their final moments together. Warmth enveloped his body, his mind feeling at ease, rested as the weight of his limbs lifted and the pain of his wounds dissipated.

**_You are strong, stronger than I could ever hope to be._**

**_It can only be you.You must not die, not yet._**

His eyes shot open as he heard her words through his mind and before him he saw the life from her body slowly draining, pouring it into his own. 

**_Persephone _—_ Kore stop!_** He commanded, trying to push her away, but her grip was fierce, refusing to budge as she continued. 

**_This is a gift to you, my beloved Hades; a gift of life._ **

He was screaming. He was screaming and thrashing and begging and _pleading_ as waves of despair washed over him, the pit of his stomach churning and churning, threatening to rip itself apart. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want this _gift_. Take it back. Take it back. Take it back take it back take it back _TAKE IT BACK TAKE IT BACK **TAKE IT BACK**_ ** _—_**

But she never did; she continued on, her tears mixing with his as the warmth of her lips faded and her body grew cold. 

**_Remember us. Remember that we once lived._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I hope you all had fun reading it cause I sure had fun writing it :3 
> 
> Hopefully the next one won't take so long, but who knows when work has been forcing me to work 10 hours a day.
> 
> Oh and I did draw Kore as she was back when she was alive and whole if anyone wants to check out the link below, I posted her on my tumblr!
> 
> https://blueyemxn.tumblr.com/post/186519355145/kore-persephone-after-having-my-persephone


	4. Ballad of the Tempered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two souls locked within one another, both loving and hating each other. Nua and Emet are unable to figure out how to feel, their master's pulling at their strings and making them kneel. Light and Dark forever in conflict, two lovers bound apart. Tearing at one another, ripping out the other's heart.

> Death was always watching, breathing down her neck. **  
> **
> 
> Death was always ready, snapping at her heels.

Life was always absent, leaving him feel hollow.

Life was always boring, dulling his sharp senses.

> Death was empty; it was unfeeling and cold. 
> 
> Death was terrible; it was unbiased and untainted.

Life was stagnant; it was filling but couldn’t satiate.

Life was impartial; it was inclusive but didn’t distinguish.

> **They** were _neither_.
> 
> **They** were _different_.

**He** was a _**passionate**_ and _**loving**_ death; grasping and holding on, determined to see her live. 

**He** was a _**furious**_ and _**spiteful**_ death; burning and drowning her, unable to forgive.

> **She** was a _**bold**_ and _**fervent**_ life; gripping and latching on, not wanting to let go.
> 
> **She** was a _**stubborn**_ and _**determined**_ life; shoving and pulling away, refusing his woe.

**His** essence _weaves_ into hers, dancing in nostalgic bliss. 

**His** essence _suffocates_ hers, choking her within his darkness.

> **Her** essence _intertwines_ with his, retreading steps of the past.
> 
> **Her** essence _struggles_ against his, refusing to let this breath be her last.

This **death** was _alive_ , claws ripping the flesh apart. 

This **death** was _feeling_ , judging her fragmented heart.

> This **life** was _vibrant_ , her searing light burning at his retinas.
> 
> This **life** was _ever-changing_ , challenging what he knew about previous replicas.

**He** _seeped_ into her crevices, letting her feel whole for the briefest of moments. 

**He** _erupted_ and _tore away_ , sending **_agonizing_** pulses in a torrent. 

> **She** _nuzzled_ into his cavities, filling his touch-starved soul with what he’s craved for eons.
> 
> **She** _severed_ and _lashed out_ , whipping _**antagonizing**_ tremors in bright neons.

**His** nose went to hers, **_humming_** a tune they used to sing. 

**His** knuckle-white grip takes her shoulders, **_bruising_** as they cling.

> **Her** forehead rests on his, **_muttering_** in a language they used to vocalize.
> 
> **Her** strong calloused fingers go for his neck, **_closing-off_** his struggling cries. 

**He** sighs in relief. 

**He** growls in disgust.

> _Remember us._

**She** grins with glee.

**She** sneers with contempt.

> _Remember us._

**He** needs her.

**He** rejects her.

> _Remember us._

**She** craves him.

**She** denies him. 

> _Remember us._

**He** _**loves**_ her.

**He** _hates_ her.

> _Remember us._

**She** _**adores**_ him.

**She** _loathes_ him. 

> _Remember us._

**He** wants to **_save_** her.

**He** wants to **_destroy_** her.

> _Remember us._

**She** has to **_save_** him.

**She** has to **_destroy_** him.

> _Remember_ **me.**

**They** want to remember.

> **_Remember who we used to be._ **
> 
> **_It can only be you._ **
> 
> **_It can only be we._ **

**Her** eyes snapped open and he is _gone_. 

**Her** eyes closed shut and she is _alone_.

**Her** hand grips tightly onto the _withered_ ground.

**Her** hand releases to find a _dying_ flower crown.

**Her** fingertips were hesitant to touch as the _fragile_ petals eroded.

**Her** fingertips held them _gently_ as the energies within her molded.

> As **death** brings _**destruction**_ and _**peace**_ , **life** brings _**rebirth**_ and _**conflict**_.
> 
> As **darkness** _ **overshadows**_ and _**comforts**_ , **light** _ **illuminates**_ and _**restricts**_.

The **cycle** continues one after another, flowing **indefinitely** in a predictable spiel.

**Flowers** bloom in the bosom of their mother, **overgrown** in hands that couldn’t heal.

**Spilling** about the ground upon the dead earth, **fated** to die just like those in the First.

**Blooming** around the dead gives kindling for the hearth, a fire **brimming** , ready to burst.

> **She** rises now, her heart _beating_ to the fires.
> 
> **She** looks to the horizon, eyes _set_ on the towering spires.
> 
> It was time to **end** this, to stop this _insidious_ cancer.
> 
> It was time to move **forward** and finally get some _fucking_ answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably a bit underwhelming since it wasn't a proper 'chapter' but it kinda just flowed this way and what better way to describe a loving and /conflicting/ union of souls then a poem?? Its also why it took a bit longer because I can't rhyme worth hell and I was /gonna/ just not rhyme at all but then with all the convenient rhyming in there I decided to just do most of the whole thing as a rhyming scheme; hopefully it worked well! Next chapter is gonna be proper chapter =w=
> 
> Oh! And before I forget I made Nua a tumblr! If you guys wanna ask her questions with her feelings during the expansion/other things or just wanna rp with her send an ask ;3
> 
> grindinghatchet.tumblr.com


	5. A Broken Exchange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nua and her friends try their best to convince Emet-Selch of his folly philosophy, it goes about as well as you'd expect.

**“This really is unexceptionable. I gave you** _**very** _ **specific instructions.”**  


He lumbered sluggishly, still slouched over as he approached the Warrior of Darkness and her companions, eyes ever downcast in disappointment. Disappointment in her, that she would dare share this ancient ground with others. That she would bring her _friends_ to a place only special to themselves. He had known from the moment they stepped into Amaurot that she wasn’t alone, and yet now he complains about it? How so… _him_.

**“Emet-Selch.”** There came a growl from Alphinaud, but Nua paid him no mind, her eyes focused on the Ascian before her. 

She took a step, then two, then three and suddenly she was there in front of him, so close that if she took a deep breath their bodies would touch. **“Last I checked I didn’t need your _permission_ to do anything, least of all to bring them at my final hours.” **

Her eyes bore into him, challenging his golden stare that didn’t change from its disapproving glance.

Her chest tightened; she hated it when he looked at her like that, like he was trying to make her feel guilty. **“Though, all things considered, I did _try_ to come alone, seems my friends are just as stubborn as I.”**

**“As if we’d let you confront this bastard alone in the state you’re in,”** Thancred said as she heard a click from his gunblade. Cute, but Nua didn’t find it necessary, though it warmed her heart to know they cared about her that much. To risk themselves like this when she was about to turn and probably devour them all. **  
**

**“No matter. In the end my invitation was for an abomination, a being ripe with power to bring about this shard’s annihilation. Not this half-broken… _thing_. What _ever_ am I to do with you?” **He asked mockingly, the last of his words ending in a sneer as he continued to stare down with condescension. She glared back, the word _broken_ echoing within the realm of her mind, digging itself into her heart.

Broken.

_Broken._

**_Broken_**.

**_“I’m nothing but broken.”_ **

**_“Such an odd thing to say, it’s something Emet-Selch would surely debate against.”_ **

**_“Only because he doesn’t know.”_ **

**_“You’d be surprised. He may not speak about such things, but he knows, he always knows.”_ **

Cracks began to form beneath her feet, splitting the marble as the beast within grows restless. Her fingers dug into her arms, twitching as she was given the overwhelming desire to slap him across the face with such force his head would come clean off. The only thing that stopped her was a tug at the heart, a long forgotten devotion to a man who wasn’t himself anymore. 

**“It took a painstakingly long time to make that and here you are breaking it into pieces. Are you already so far gone that you can’t control yourself?”** There came a long, drawn out sigh from his lips as he looked down to the floor with a bored expression before those orbs of ichor went back to hers. 

Her eyebrow twitched and she opened her mouth to say something.

**_“You’re not going to let him get to you that easily, are you?”_ **Ardbert asked, walking next to her. **_“He knows nothing about you, nothing about this world. He does not have the right to dictate who lives and who dies. It stands to reason he shouldn’t dictate how you feel, right?”_** There was a warmth in his voice, as if he were smiling, but Nua dared not break her eye contact with Emet-Selch to look. 

Her shard was right though, giving into her anger would just fuel the rapidly encroaching light within her soul. She had to stave it off as much as possible. And she refused to let the bastard have the satisfaction of tipping her over the edge just because he knew how to push her buttons.

For a moment she closed her eyes and in that time did the cracks stop and the air went back to normal. She opened them slightly to give off the same bored expression he had. **“As if I’d get angry over the lies that spew out of your mouth; _please_.”** She scoffed, half turning away.

**“As I’ve stated before, hero, I have not uttered a single lie through this entire endeavor; about _you_ least of all. You are what your are, a broken shell, a shattered remnant of what once was and what will be again once the one true god is resurrected.”**

**“And how, pray tell, do you intend to bring back the dead? Even a god as powerful as yours couldn’t simply bring back every single one of your people without something drastic in return.”** Y’shtola noted, hardened glance on Emet-Selch to see if he had an answer. Such a request was hardly an easy task and even Hydaelyn had no such ability to reanimate, though that was never her intended purpose.

Suddenly he smirked and he lifted his arms as if he were preaching the holy word of the one true God. **“Once all the worlds have rejoined, we Ascians are to offer up the Source’s remaining inhabitants in sacrifice, that we might resurrect our brethren who died to bring Zodiark into existence. And thus, everything will go back to the way it was, the way it was _meant_ to be.”** He spoke with such lavish and conviction, a duty he was wholly dedicated to no matter what it took to achieve such an end. He had dedicated eons to restoring his people and if the First could be rejoined he was one step closer to that goal. Or at least he thought.

The room stiffened and Nua cursed under her breath as a result of this madness. **_“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”_** She muttered, though she knew very well that he was not. **“Back the way it was meant to be? _Nothing_ is going to go back to the way it was ‘supposed’ to be, not after _this_. When everyone finds out you’ve killed _billions_ just to bring them back to a doomed world, they will look up to you in _horror_.”**

**“You do not kn–”**

**“I know** _enough_ **!”** She turned to face him again, a very stern look on her face as she tried to keep her temper at bay even when she was hearing such nonsense coming out of his mouth. **“I may not have all of my memories but I have enough to recount the tear between our people when you and the rest of the Convocation kept spilling blood for your _god_. How were we to safeguard the future of our people when you were _butchering_ them in the present?!”**

**_“This can’t keep going, Emet-Selch, too many lives have already been lost.”_ **

**_“We don’t have a choice, Zodiark needs more sacrifices so that he may restore the star.”_ **

**_“Are you so blind that you don’t realize that it’s killing the few we have left? We will have no future at this rate.”_ **

**_“Fandaniel we’re doing the best we can. Zodiark is the star itself, it knows what it needs. Just a little bit more, he just needs a little bit more and everyone will–”_ **

**_“Even if he does decide to finally answer our wishes, there will be nothing left for them but a city full of ghosts.”_ **

**_“Where are you going?”_ **

**_“To find a better solution.”_ **

**“Nothing good has ever come out of sacrificing those to a primal and Zodiark is no different.”** Nua felt her chest congest as she waited for Emet-Selch’s response, waiting for him to show something, _anything_. But the bastard was never one to give what she would have wanted, no, he just decided to be his usual _uncaring_ self as he shook his head.

**“Even now, after everything, you refuse to listen to reason. You think that it’s unfair that you are subject to suffering? That your lives will be sacrificed for the ancients?”**

**“Of–”**  


**“ _Look at me!_ ” **He demanded as his voice became unmasked and raw while he grabbed at her arm, forcing her to close the small gap between their bodies. **“I have lived a thousand _thousand_ of your lives! I have broken bread with you, fought with you, grown ill, grown old! Sired children and yes, welcomed death’s sweet embrace. For eons have I measured your worth and found you wanting! Too weak and feeble-minded to serve as stewards of any star!” **His voice trembled as the one unoccupied hand shook with heated frustration as the other holding her in place squeezed with unnatural strength.

Nua did not flinch, not until she felt his soul again, caressing at her, snapping at the edges of her confines as gut-wrenching disgust vibrated through her being. She nearly buckled, feeling the hopelessness he felt for the inhabitants of the Source and the Shards. 

_Not worthy. They cannot hope to be so. They are not our legacy. They are weak. They are feeble. Not worthy. notworthynotworthyNOTWORTHYNOTWORTHY **NOTWORTHY** –_

The words spiraled out of control, filling her mind with endless chattering. She could hear her friends in the background shouting, but what she could not understand, nor was there any reason to. Slowly did she put up a hand, bidding them to cease, hoping that they wouldn’t be so foolish as to try and fight when it was obvious that the only person who could ever hope to stand up to Emet-Selch was her.

Then her soul screeched back, pushing back against his, stubbornly unmoving, unyielding. 

_They are worthy. They can do this. We can do this. Give us a chance. We are strong. We can persevere. We are ALIVE! **WE ARE WORTHY!**_  


She intensified her feelings as much as she could; not that that said much. It was difficult due to most of her memories missing _and_ unused to using her soul in this way. When she saw the small amount of amusement on his face, she knew that her efforts were anything _but_ effective.

**“Have you not learned that your ignorance and frailty begets only endless misery?”** His voice, though soft, managed to drown out all possible others, causing them to grow quiet and still as his smile faded away. **“How long do you mean to perpetuate this farce? How much more must I endure your bumbling interference?”** Emet-Selch looked to her, eyes boring into her own, though she had a feeling that he wasn’t talking to her, not directly. He closed them briefly, seemingly contemplating before his eyes met with her other companions.

**“Even if the world were to face true annihilation once more, do you honestly believe that half your number would sacrifice themselves to save the other? Of course they wouldn’t. And if you had witnessed history unfold as _I_ have, you would have reached the _same_ conclusion.”** He said, still continuing his lecture in a softer version of his voice; of which he was not entirely wrong. 

A quiet sigh left his lips and his grip on her loosened enough where she could easily pull away; she did not. **“I will bring back our brethren. Our Friends. Our loved ones. The world belongs to us and us alone.”**

**_I promise, Persephone._ **

His fingers slowly loosened before lazily falling away before he turned his back to her, perhaps unable to gaze at her any longer, tired of fighting and tired of not being able to get his point across. Those words of his, that were meant for her hearing only, echoing in her mind as he started to walk away.

**_Hades!_ **

Her soul reached out when verbal words would not, trying to coax him out of this fantasy he had been planning to bring about for eons. But he ignored her, heading out towards the door.

**“Emet-Selch!”** Amidst the buckling silence did Alphinaud manage to find his voice where Nua or the others could not. While the boy looked pained, his resolve was clear within his stable voice. **“We understand. Truly. But it makes no difference. The ones you love are in the past. While ours are here in the present. One day, we too will be ashes and dust, but not today. Our time is not yet finished. We share your conviction… and that is why we will not abandon our course.”**

Such a way with words; Alphinaud was always better at them than Nua ever hoped to be. She thought actions were better; to feel, taste, breath, hear and see then to listen to a person speak words that were only made to impress others. Alphie managed that and more most of the time, but knowing Emet-Selch, knowing _her_ Hades, it would not be possible. He was dedicated, he was so filled with insurmountable love that he would do insurmountable atrocities to achieve them.   


Emet-Selch was silent, standing there, arms loosely hanging at his sides, posture slouched as if something heavy was weighing them down. At first Nua thought he would not bother arguing further, but then she felt _fire_. There was no heat, but she could feel something burning from him, his soul flickering and intensifying. She knew it well; the uncontainable rage that threatened to overtake one’s being. His back straightened slightly and Nua felt her gut clench. 

**“You think us the same? You think your tattered soul of equal worth to those _I_ lost?” **His head turned ever so slightly, golden eyes constricted as he gritted his teeth. **“Then come– _earn_ your place. Prove yourselves _worthy_ to inherit this star.”** The burning pulsed, but within that flame of resentment Nua could feel a deep wound, a hurting chasm that could not be filled or healed. A grief that would not allow itself to be overcome.

And before them the golden doors opened, revealing a wall of fire and beyond a crumbling city full of despair, hopelessness and death.

**“Behold, the coming oblivion. T’was the end of our era, and the beginning of our great work. A fitting backdrop… for your final judgement.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurr Durr I'm surprised I got this out on time but I did! Sorry for so much dialogue, but everything just seemed important :( I managed to cut out the dialogue asking about the Exarch, so I'm a little sad about that but hey, I did my best and I did say this was Canon Divergent >w>
> 
> Also for you Emet-Selch fans, I started up a discord for a Support Group (Therapy) Dedicated to our local Garlean Granddad! Link Below if you wanna check it out:
> 
> https://discord.gg/ZWYbQjW


	6. Calamity Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the final days of Amaurot our heroes are judged and Nua is still being assaulted by unwanted memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say I'm SO sorry for being so late! I had to watch the Amaurot dungeon over and over again to write this chapter and it was super painful to do so. Also life and being hella distracted by my discord has also made me suuuuuper slow. Thank you all for being patient with me and I'll try to get the next one out sooner!
> 
> P.S. I'll be changing the title Fandaniel to Halmarut wherever Fandaniel was mentioned
> 
> P.S.S. I'm also getting rid of the 'eventual smut' tag since I don't believe I'll be able to deliver it well within the context in the story. But in future stories I WILL have smut included guaranteed!

##  ** “Welcome to the final days of Amaurot.”  **

His voice towered above them, scornful and all knowing, setting the stage of disaster. The screams and the fire, the towering Amaurotines running and quaking in fear, their wisdom lost in the hysteria. Nua had only taken one step and she could barely breathe, grief striking at her core. 

**“This is so… terrible,”** Ryne’s voice was just above a whisper, but it spoke with an unmistakable quiver. But then, who wouldn’t be? 

**“Steady, Ryne! Remember: this is just a recreation.”** And, as ever, Thancred’s voice was a stable sound of reasoning, but seeing the look on his face spelled the opposite of calm. 

**“A recreation it may be, but I can see storms of emotion… the aether here is seething with it.”  
**

However, she was not interested in the destruction set before them, for as Emet-Selch set the stage with entitled grandeur the test he was so stubbornly committed to began. A test to see if they, if she was worthy of his patronage.

With nary a word, Nua hauled out her axe and proceeded, heart heavy and mind bracing itself for harsh memories that would assault her being. The smoke and ash of the world filling her lungs and bringing a sense of despair that she hadn’t felt in what seemed like millennia. 

##  **“The fabric of our star began to fray… and the unchecked energies of creation begat malformed beasts.**

##  **And _lo_ , vile beasts did rise, leaving naught in their wake but blood and ash.”**

Leaving naught but terror and panic, flailing around like frightened children, helpless in their endeavor to survive. Her companions called out to her, their voices drowning out amongst the roars and aching pains of the world around her. **  
**

**_“...re.”_ **

Within the heated streets, battling Dooms and avoiding the buildings crumbling from above, a stray sound made it to her. 

**_“K...ore.”_ **

Ringing in her ears, the world shattering and crackling while another horde of horrors fell at her feet. But the voice was still there, coming back to her mind, inching it towards another memory, another shard. Another shard she didn’t have time for.

**_“...Kore.”_ **

Hacking away at all those in her path, ignoring the cries of her people, ignoring the pain and the agony and the despair as their screams became the chorus of a horrendous discord. Her axe-head swung, etched in blood and all manor of disgusting gore from the corpses of dead creatures. The way the metal sang was low, half-hearted and melancholy, her focus elsewhere, staving off the past that was determined to remember. 

**_“Kore!”_ **

Nua shut her eyes, baring her fangs as she ripped apart another monster. But the voices didn’t stop. They never could.

**_“_** Kore ** _!”_**

**“** What **?!”** Unable to bear the voice anymore, she opened her eyes and violently turned with a snarl, only to be met with a tall figure with neither hood nor mask, revealing a slender and tired face of an irritated mother. 

_**“Kore, inside voice.”** She said, her tone hollow and soft. **“That’s no way to talk to your mother.”**_

_**“Why are you here?”** She asked. **“Don’t you have something better to do?”**_

**_“We need to talk. I know you’re irritated **—** ”_ **

_**“Is it that obvious? Gee, I wonder**_ why _ **! You’re keeping me from Hades!”**_

_**“Emet-Selch is participating in a dangerous thing, you are no longer allowed** t **o be around him.”**_

**_“I have a right to decide who I can and can’t stay with; I’m an—”_ **

_**“**_ Enough _ **.”** __Her arm motioned for silence, the exhausted Amaurotine ending the interruption._ **“Emet-Selch cannot and will not be your patron any longer. You must stay here, where it is safe.”**

_A twitch. An anger filled her chest. This was unfair. This was not right. She was not going to leave Hades. She was not going to abandon him now as their star fell apart._

_**“I’m going whether you will it or not,** _Mother **.”** _Kore turned away. She reached out to grab her arm, determined to spare her from her fate. Kore turned on her heel and lashed out, her other arm swerving in for a devastating blow_ _—_

**“Nua!”** Through the memories did her true name ring, calling and pulling her away from the intruding thoughts just in time for her axe to stop short before a wide-eyed Ryne.

Blue eyes blinked, fear pooling from their irises. **“I...”** she put on a brave face, but Nua could hear the tinge of fear in her voice. The Auri cursed.

**“ _Dammit_ _—_ Ryne, what were you doing? I could’ve killed you!”**

**“I… I saw the Light within you fluctuate and feared something was wrong.”** She looked away in shame and Nua felt a pang of guilt run through her. As wise as she was for her age, Ryne was still a naive child, wanting to help and make peace and preserve life; unlike Nua who only knew war, and battle and _death_.

**“Well, I’m fine so _—_ ”**

**“Ryne!”** Called out Thancred as he barreled though, gunblade out and ready. **“You really need to stop running off like that you know!”**

**“Sorry, it’s just Nua…”**

**“I’m fine, as I said.”** She turned away, looking to see that the path before them had opened forward, awaiting the queue for the next slew of events to unfold within this grand theater. 

##  **“The land buckled; the cities burned; the waters ran red with blood. For soon did the sun bend low, scorching earth and boiling seas”**

The land screamed; it tore itself asunder as the illness plaguing the star erupted and corrupted, spread through a world doomed to fall. Our heroes journeyed forth, arms at the ready, plucking the life away from all who dared to block their path. Running across the bodies of Amaurotine, clutching each other in a desperate need for comfort; in pain as the illness of the star consumed them.

**_“K..re!”_ **

Another fracture, calling into a memory, pulling and sinking deep within her psyche. A warning? A beckoning? Neither matters to her; only striving forward.

**_“Kore!!”_ **

It isn’t real. It isn’t real. It. Isn’t. Real!

**_“Kore watch out!”_** _His voice vibrated painfully in her ears and she looked up to see one of the creatures raising it’s gnarled claws up to strike her down. Her heart beating a mile a minute, hands shaking in terror. She was frozen._

**_“All that I have and more, I bring to bear!”_** _The sound of Hythlodaeus’ voice managed to wrangle her back to her senses as his magic shielded her from the blow. Her breath was ragged as she looked upon the beast so desperate to tear her apart. **“My friend, if you aren’t careful you’ll end up being cut down before you reach the Convocation!”** _

_She could hear his usual calm, and grinning self despite the chaotic loudness sounding around them. He was there as he always was; supporting her; helping her; guiding her._

_**“I know! It's just…”** a clenched fist and gritted teeth; what was she waiting for? Why does she hesitate? Why was she so afraid? A hand on her shoulder and she looked to see his smile radiating a reassuring glow. _

_**“Do not shed tears, my friend, I am here. Together we will overcome this!”** He told her as he wiped a stray tear from her cheek._

_**“Daeus… We must move on, we can’t keep fighting everything in our path.”** _

_**“Then go without me.”** _

**_“_** What ** _?!”_**

_**“I am causing you hesitation and discourse. Hurry and move on ahead, I shall keep the beasts at bay.”** _

_**“But—”** _

_**“You do not want to keep Hades waiting do you? You know how he gets when he’s kept waiting. Now** _go _ **!”**_ _His magic pushed forward, staggering the creature before it was assaulted by his magics. Kore turned to him, but all he did was grin at her, a hint of mischief playing upon his lips even as the world around him crumbled to dust._

##  **“Yet this was far from the worst of it. Come, and I will show you…**

##  **Just a little further… and you will see the end of a world.”**

The voice of Emet-Selch boomed once more, clearing her mind and bringing her back. Beneath her did the dead carcass of the bird monster lay, its body plastered all over the arena after being cleaved in half. Beyond was a portal to the final part of this farce; of this _judgement_.

**_Just a little more and perhaps we can end this without having to kill each other_** A hopeful and impossible thought, she knew, but hoped for it nonetheless.

**“What do you suppose lies beyond…?”**  


**“Only one way to find out!”** Before anyone could stop her, Alisaie charged through with weapon in hand. Thancred cursed and followed after, followed by a nervous Alphinaud and Ryne and followed more by a huffing Y’shtola and a silent Urianger. She was the only one to stay behind.

Nua stared at the portal, knowing that the ever present narrator was eager to end his tale and remind them of the folly of their past and of their future. But she couldn’t help but stare, blinking at the swirling aether while the horrifying echoes of a dying world became white noise to her inner thoughts. 

**“I can only wonder if you’re doing this on purpose; provoking my memories like this, or if this is just further proof you need that I’m too _broken_ to fix.”** She said, bitterness resting on her tongue. 

##  **“. . .”**

She did not expect him to answer of course, but she knew he was watching her. While the stage was set to show _everyone_ the tragedy of their world, his eyes were always on _her_. Watching. Judging. Hoping. Even now when her allies were waiting for her to jump through the portal his gaze, his attention was on her, on what she would do next. 

Nua took a step forward, feeling the aether churn before her, almost touching her armored form. But she did not go through, not yet **. “We both know how this is going to end. You will judge us. You will dismiss us. You will fight us as your brethren have done before you. You say you want to follow the road of lesser tragedy and yet you _repeat_ the _mistakes_ of your fellows.”**

##  **“. . .”**

He must hate her, ruefully gazing down on her at the audacity to say such things, but if Hades was going to spill out the entire truth then so shall she. 

Her hand clenched and finally found the will to move once more, to enter the beginning of the end; the genesis and the oblivion; the first and the last. The world beneath them glittering with chaos, a world destroying itself from the sins of its people and its past. One final time her eyes looked back, towards the heavens, to wherever he may be watching her.

**“In the end it is your decision on how we walk this road. Whether it be hand in hand, or not at all.”**


End file.
